Remembrance Day

The year is 1918. Over 9,407,136 people were reported dead. Thousands more were wounded, and we still remember all those people on one day, each year. Why is Remembrance Day still commemorated annually in Canada? There are many reasons that Canadians today honor this occasion. One reason is to thank the soldiers who fought for our country. Similarly, we need to appreciate other unsung heroes who supported the war efforts. Finally, we need to maintain our freedom. I fully support commemorating a day to remember.

Canadian soldiers are the main reason we live in a free country today. I believe that we need to thank the soldiers who fought for us. These soldiers left their families, sacrificing everything they owned and loved. Many of the soldiers were married, and had kids, maybe even grand-kids. Starting as young as 16, men fought for the sake of people they didn't even know, including you. Robert Dorman went to school until the completion of grade three. When Dorman was nine, he was working full time at a dairy store. At age 14 he enlisted himself to go to WW1. He, among many others lied about his age to be able to go to war. His mother, Isobella was horrified, and managed to have him discharged by Christmas of the same year. After what must have caused quite a bit of a controversy, he rejoined the army enlisting in the 75th division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, one year later. While serving in the army, Robert Dorman took to writing poems. Here is one of them;

THE ARGUMENT-By Robert Dorman Hello Mother, what do you know I enlisted today I said I'd go Yes, I mean to do my little bit Afraid why Mum never thought of it Oh I know it's true all that you say Only fifteen and going away But age don’t count it's the heart within The courage to lose the faith to win So come now Mother you mustn’t cry Other boys have joined so why not I It won’t last long please understand Then I'll come Home to the things we planned Remember Mum, what you have often said The little house all painted red A garden filled with lovely flowers Where we planned to spend such happy hours I know how much it all means to you dear But really I couldn’t be happy here When I know that every Mothers son Is badly needed to man the guns So cheer up Mother don’t take it so hard You wouldn’t have your son branded a coward Come smile thru your tears and think of the day When I'll return Home to be with you always

Robert Dorman knew he had a responsibility to his country. He knew he had to fight for the sake of his family, and others. He knew what he had to do, and so he did it. Dorman did not die in the war; he married, and retired with full honor in 1949. Canadian soldiers fought for us, and we need to remember them.

There are so many unmentioned heroes in this daunting war. Among the soldiers, there were other people who we need to appreciate. Just because they weren’t on the front line shooting guns, I think that nurses and doctors were some of the biggest heroes. Nurses and doctors worked countless hours bandaging, stitching, and cleaning wounds. Thousands of lives were saved because of these heroes. As well as doctors and nurses, women played a huge roll in WW1. Since all the men went out to war, the women had to take up the roles of having a job, and taking care of the children. The women even made the bombs that helped to defeat our enemies. I think we should all appreciate the women, nurses, and doctors that helped in the war as well.

We need to make sure that the soldiers did not die in vain. We need to try to maintain the freedom that our soldiers fought for. Seeing as the soldiers sacrificed so much, we need to make sure that we try to keep peace with other countries. As well, we need to remember the mistakes our country and others made so that we may learn from those costly mistakes. We need to conserve what the soldiers and others fought so hard for.

As I have stated above, I know that Remembrance Day is an important day that is essential for Canadians to remember. We need to recall and thank those thousands of soldiers that fought for YOUR country. We need to appreciate the countless hours that others put in to help with the war for YOUR freedom. We need to maintain the freedom of YOUR country. This Remembrance Day we need to remember.

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